12-year-old boy stands up against anti-gay protesters in Celaya, Mexico

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A photo of a 12-year-old boy in the middle of the street trying to block thousands of anti-gay protesters in Celaya, Guanajuato, has gone viral, USA Today reports.

Over the weekend, thousands of groups protested against same-sex marriage across Mexico after President Enrique Peña Nieto proposed to change the country’s constitution to allow same-sex marriage nationally.

Same-sex marriage is allowed in Mexico City, as well as in Coahuila, Quintana Roo, Jalisco, Nayarit, Chihuahua and Sonora. Gay marriage is still illegal in many of Mexico’s 31 states, as reported by the Guardian.

(Image: usatoday.com)

The image of one child standing up against nearly 11,000 protesters has captivated viewers. The photograph was taken by journalist Manuel Rodriguez, according to Mexican publication Regeneración.

“The image recalls, for its elements (an individual of unknown identity facing a much larger force to defend a cause that he considers fair), the famous photograph of “Tank Man” protests in Tiananmen Square, China, in 1989,” the publication wrote.

“At first I thought the child was only playing,” Rodriguez told Regeneración. But when the photographer later asked the boy why he was standing in front of the protesters, he said, according to Rodriguez, “I have an uncle who is gay and I hate people that hate.”